The Tent is Up and the Trapeze is Swinging: The Big Apple Circus is Back

We’ve had three-ring circuses, new-wave circuses, and backyard circuses--but for many of us, the most charming has to be the one-ring show, as exemplified by The Big Apple Circus; it has just set up shop in New York City for a three-month run, through Jan. 17.
The familiar big tent behind Lincoln Center plays host to this season’s incarnation, “Bello is Back,” and for many New Yorkers, that’s big news. The legendary performer with the sky-high hair defected for a while to the Ringling Bros. Circus, but has returned to perform his feats of derring-do in an arena where no seat is more than 50 feet away from the action. For those who follow such things, “Time” Magazine recently named him “America’s Best Clown.”
This year, the performers include juggler Picasso Jr. from Spain; the Russian Aniskan troupe (trampoline and trapeze); and perennial favorite Grandma the Clown. (Thank goodness, no scary, leering clowns at this circus). And all the action takes place in one ring, so no one in the audience is frantically trying to see the pink poodles and the guy on the tiny bike at the same time. (No, thankfully, this circus actually has neither.)
The Big Apple Circus, FYI, also manages some stellar community programs throughout the city, going into schools and hospitals. Big-name performers; even bigger hearts.
To order tickets, call 888-541-3750; to enter the big tent, go to 62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues.
You can't miss it.

Yes, It's Been Half a Century: Lincoln Center Turns 50

How old have we all gotten??? First comedy troupe Monty Python turns 40, now New York’s Lincoln Center turns 50. To celebrate, the arts organization is throwing itself a party, of sorts. “Lincoln Center: Celebrating 50 Years” will be on view at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center (40 Lincoln Center Plaza; 212 870-1630), running today (October 15) through January 16, 2010. This is the first major exhibition to focus on Lincoln Center’s impact on the arts, the city, and the world, from its beginning in the mid-1950s through today.
The exhibition includes approximately 400 objects, among them costumes, photographs, video recordings, props, and set pieces. Among the offerings? The elaborate gown that Beverly Sills wore at her farewell performance; an Andy Warhol-designed poster for the 1967 New York Film Festival; and Leonard Bernstein’s concert tuxedo.
Visitors who haven’t been to Lincoln Center in a while will get a nice surprise; the fountain, under renovation for quite a while, has returned in a blaze of glory, or at least, sprays of water. The redesign has turned the fountain into a sort of floating ring, with open views across the plaza. A little bit of Disney-type magic has crept in as well—new nozzles and lighting systems will allow for special-effect light and water displays. At night, white lights will illuminate the various watery effects.
Trivia quiz: The fountain is something of a movie star—do you know any of the films it has appeared in?

Ghostbusters, The Producers, and Moonstruck, to name a few.

FiIm Buffs, Start Your Engines: The New York Film Festival Hits the City

Film lovers, rejoice: The 47th annual New York Film Festival is in the city. The Festival takes place at the newly spiffed-up Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center from September 25-October 11. (Call 212 875-5050 for information about purchasing tickets.)
The Festival offers film buffs, couples looking for a cool date night and the just plain curious a chance to see the breakout hits, indie films, small documentaries and foreign entries that pepper the more-than-two-week event. Some will make it to the mainstream; others will pop up at your local independent cinema or go straight to DVD.
Films include “Antichrist,” from the almost-always-controversial director Lars von Trier, about the repercussions of a tragic event on a couple; (Oct. 2; 9 pm; Oct. 3; 1 pm); “The Art of the Steal" (Sept. 29; 9:15 pm); a documentary about the famous Barnes collection of art and the foundation set up to protect it; and “Crossroads of Youth” (Oct. 3; 11 am), the oldest surviving Korean film (1934). It’s the story of a brother and sister who encounter life in the city; the film will have live musical accompaniment as well as a live offscreen narrator.
The Festival will end with “Broken Embraces” from director Pedro Almodovar, focusing on a blind screenwriter. It stars Almodovar muse Penelope Cruz, and will screen on Oct. 11 at 5 pm and 8 pm.
Created in 1969 to bring international films to an American audience, the festival screens around 28 movies and 12 shorts; it has no categories and no prizes are given.
It’s film for film’s sake, pure and simple.

Lincoln Center Out of Doors Lights Up the Summer

Forget about the fourth row seat, the tux, the chandeliers dimming. In fact, forget about seats, dressing up, and indoor lighting at all--New York’s Lincoln Center is moving outside, at least for the next three weeks.
From August 5-23, Lincoln Center Out of Doors takes center stage in this 39th incarnation of free performances, which occur all around the Center's buildings. The festival features music and dance performances by a range of artists from around the world, and includes works commissioned especially for this event, as well as some premieres.
Modern dance fan? You got it. Jazz fiend? That’s there, too. Can’t get enough hip hop? Yes, that’s even there as well.
Highlights include well-known names like jazz greats The Dave Brubeck Quartet, and some names that may not be quite as familiar, like Iraqi-American jazz trumpeter Amir ElSaffar with the Two Rivers Large Ensemble.
Other performers include Hip Hop generation Next (which features a rap crew from Sierra Leone, Bajah + the Dry Eye Crew, on August 6); street bands marching through various venues (Aug 5-9); and, on the closing weekend (Aug. 22-23), the 26th Annual Roots of American Music Festival, celebrating renowned folk singer Odetta.
So yes--you can soak up culture and the sun at the same time!
Call (212) 875-5766 to request a brochure, or (212) 546-2656 for general information. Lincoln Center is located between West 62nd and 65th Streets and Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues.